It has long been recognized that the fatigue and lower leg discomfort associated with prolonged periods of standing upright, as well as the diminished blood circulation experienced by persons leading a sedentary lifestyle, can be alleviated by elevating one's legs and feet above the heart. Propping one's feet up results in drainage of pooled blood from veins in the feet, ankles and calves, and results in improved circulation. Leg elevation also relieves cramping of the calf muscles and may be useful for persons subject to fluid accumulation and for pregnant women.
Muscular massaging techniques are known to provide therapeutic benefits to tired, cramped muscles. Both mechanical and electrical devices have been used to provide vibrational stimulation of most of the muscle groups of the human body.
Attempts to achieve the benefits of both leg elevation and muscular massage are known, and were heretofore primarily embodied in the electric bed. The electric bed essentially combines a flexible mattress with an electrically powered folding frame which can be adjusted to various configurations. In one configuration, a person's legs and feet may be elevated above the heart. Additionally, some of such beds have vibrational means disposed therein.
Electric beds suffer from several therapeutic, economic, and practical limitations. First, they are expensive and bulky, requiring the purchase of an entire bed to realize the advantages of muscle message and leg elevation. Second, adequate thigh support is not provided due to the constraints imposed by the mattress. Instead of folding at a sharp angle beneath the knees, the mattress is essentially rounded and does not properly support the legs. Third, typically the entire bed vibrates when the electric bed vibration is used. They are, of course, limited to a single location and may not be taken along when travelling, for example.